What Heraldry and Mon Can Teach Us About Building Visual-Identity Generators

Iron Arachne's heraldry generator is built on the concept that heraldry can be represented in software. The generator's original design assembled a random selection of lions, eagles, crosses, swords, flowers, and crowns, but this approach did not yield true heraldry. Heraldry is a system of rules, not just a collection of symbols.

To create faithful representations, the generator must capture these rules. Comparing European heraldry with Japanese mon provides a useful contrast, as both traditions have distinct approaches to visual identifiers. European heraldry relies on a formal language called blazon, which describes heraldic designs using a vocabulary and grammar.

This blazon system acts like a constrained natural language, providing a structured way to describe and generate heraldic designs. On the other hand, Japanese mon utilize a stylized visual vocabulary and compositional patterns rather than a linguistic description. Mon are highly stylized designs constructed from recognizable motifs and arranged according to specific composition rules.

To generate Japanese mon, a procedural approach focuses on graphical primitives, such as duplicating shapes, rotating them around a common origin, and scaling them according to templates. This method generates a visual structure that captures the essence of the mon. In summary, European heraldry and Japanese mon present two distinct approaches to visual identity generation.

Western heraldry can be described using a structured blazon, while Japanese mon rely on graphical primitives and compositional patterns. By understanding these differences, developers can create more effective visual-identity generators tailored to specific cultural traditions.